Biking in Boston

The bike-ped bridge over the Mystic is making progress, thanks to Encore Casino. Biggest hurdle is getting the T to build a headhouse for Assembly Station on that side. https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...ser-reality/tP9nMqjH0eXPJSa3xu5JBM/story.html
If the goal is a safe, off-road bike/scooter channel to connect to downtown Boston (as it should be) - now we've got a defined path from the northeast burbs into Sullivan... but then what? Is it a connection following the rail line to meet up with the Green commuter path leading to Lechmere, or is it to directly south along Rutherford to the new North Washington bridge?
 
Yes, looks real good, and I would definitely use this over riding on Melnea Cass for connecting with Washington St. Interestingly, as many times as I've heard that a bike lane would be added to Ruggles, I always thought it was for the other section, running between Columbus and Huntington. I hope something is also done there, as there is no great connection from the Orange Line Station to LMA via bike.
That section is horrible, cars go speeding down there at 30mph+ and there is no clear distinction between there being one lane or two lanes and absolutely no bike facilities. It actually even used to have a bike lane and they took it out to widen the lanes for the buses at Ruggles. As you say it's a prime LMA connection and a connector for a lot of residents trying to get to Fenway area so I hope they do something about it. Lots of ROW available for it
 
One very easy quick fix for the Ruggles-to-Fenway link would be to stripe a contraflow lane for a short stretch of Leon St. Over the summer I found myself salmoning up Leon for 50 ft, cutting across Centennial Common, then riding up Forsyth St to the Fenway path system via what appears on Google Maps as the "Stony Brook Sewer Easement".
 
One very easy quick fix for the Ruggles-to-Fenway link would be to stripe a contraflow lane for a short stretch of Leon St. Over the summer I found myself salmoning up Leon for 50 ft, cutting across Centennial Common, then riding up Forsyth St to the Fenway path system via what appears on Google Maps as the "Stony Brook Sewer Easement".
I enjoy the phrase salmoning up Leon St... It's also a super popular street to ride the wrong way on a bike which to me indicates some latent demand for that connection. It is a much nicer way to go and that street is absolutely wide enough for a contraflow lane... But who owns that street? Genuinely not sure
 
I enjoy the phrase salmoning up Leon St... It's also a super popular street to ride the wrong way on a bike which to me indicates some latent demand for that connection. It is a much nicer way to go and that street is absolutely wide enough for a contraflow lane... But who owns that street? Genuinely not sure

Based on the city's assessing map, Leon is owned by Northeastern. Greenleaf Street and Speare Place are as well.
 
Streetblog taking a dig at the MBTA for holding up progress to provide better access to its own stations.

 
I received an email about the Fenway Multi-Use Path for a safer crossing of Park Drive (the petition appears to still be active):

Thanks to the over 200 of you that signed the petition at tinyurl.com/fenwayconnector. Your comments were sincere and helpful; in fact, 3 of you volunteered to appear on the 3-minute video at https://youtu.be/YyUma4LKjq0 . Greater Boston residents as distant as Beverly and Needham have signed the petition at www.tinyurl.com/fenwayconnector .

The next step is to communicate to the MBTA the urgency of completing this long-overdue project, now stalled with 75% plans completed since March 2018. The MBTA says that funding is needed; this may demand that state and local officials will have to become involved in active support of funding.

This petition will be a primary tool in lobbying the MBTA, MassDOT and the City of Boston.

Please pass this along to others and ask them to sign the petition at www.tinyurl.com/fenwayconnector

I will be in touch to ask you for support as this effort moves forward.

Hugh Mattison, Brookline Town Meeting Member
 
I received an email about the Fenway Multi-Use Path for a safer crossing of Park Drive (the petition appears to still be active):

Thanks to the over 200 of you that signed the petition at tinyurl.com/fenwayconnector. Your comments were sincere and helpful; in fact, 3 of you volunteered to appear on the 3-minute video at https://youtu.be/YyUma4LKjq0 . Greater Boston residents as distant as Beverly and Needham have signed the petition at www.tinyurl.com/fenwayconnector .

The next step is to communicate to the MBTA the urgency of completing this long-overdue project, now stalled with 75% plans completed since March 2018. The MBTA says that funding is needed; this may demand that state and local officials will have to become involved in active support of funding.

This petition will be a primary tool in lobbying the MBTA, MassDOT and the City of Boston.

Please pass this along to others and ask them to sign the petition at www.tinyurl.com/fenwayconnector

I will be in touch to ask you for support as this effort moves forward.

Hugh Mattison, Brookline Town Meeting Member

While I am aware that it's not the usual marketing angle for these sorts of things, drivers have plenty of political weight as well, and this project would directly benefit them in it's actual effects.

Some kind of bullet about "Improves driving conditions by reducing numbers of pedestrians / cyclists attempting to cross the road" and encouraging them actively to support the project would probably help garner additional support.
 
Well someone in West Roxbury desperately wants the road diet killed...

1571276330597.png


Story via UHub
 
Well someone in West Roxbury desperately wants the road diet killed...

View attachment 708

Story via UHub


People hate change. These people are always wrong and have no idea what they are actually talking about. Unfortunately they are loud and get attention. So you have to fight them harder than they fight you.
 
Well someone in West Roxbury desperately wants the road diet killed...

View attachment 708

Story via UHub
Quite a bit of discussion about this last night at the Rozzie Bikes/West Rox Bike Committee joint meeting. The sense of the room, I think, was that people who support the road diet should e-mail the listed city officials to make sure they know that anti isn't the only point of view. Aside from that, as Van points out, it is a vocal group, set in their ways, very averse to any change. I'm not sure that there is a way to directly address their concerns, but what I've been doing for the most part is re-framing the issue as one that regards safety, specifically pedestrian safety. It's not about bike lanes.
 
what I've been doing for the most part is re-framing the issue as one that regards safety, specifically pedestrian safety. It's not about bike lanes.
thats a very good point.
It makes me wonder though, why isnt there a 'Pedestrian Lobby'? why do pedestrians not have a louder voice in this region? why isnt there a 'Walking in Boston' thread on this website?
Far more people walk than bike and yet there is very little public discussion about infrastructure improvements for pedestrians.
 
thats a very good point.
It makes me wonder though, why isnt there a 'Pedestrian Lobby'? why do pedestrians not have a louder voice in this region? why isnt there a 'Walking in Boston' thread on this website?
Far more people walk than bike and yet there is very little public discussion about infrastructure improvements for pedestrians.
There are some groups out there, like Walk Boston and Walkup Roslindale, but it definitely does not attract as much direct advocacy. I think part of the reason is that walking is seen as the default (everybody walks!), and therefore not needing any coordinated support structures. That's an incorrect assumption, though, as clearly car based users are the dominant force.
 
Just another angry white shitbag from WR. Probably drives a monster pickup truck and tailgates everyone and everything in site.

I assumed it was a Karen, but that works too.
 

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